Radio actuated figure toy



Aug. 27, 1929. c GREENE I 1,726,294

RADIO AGTUATED FIGURE TOY Filed April 24, 1926 I: W Mari/22' I ZZayd 64766780, 6 Z Q32 3 Patented Aug. 27, 1929.

UNITED STATES Parser" OFFICE.

LLOYD C. GREENE, OF WINTHROP, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T TOBE G. DEUTSCH- I MANN, TRUSTEE, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

RADIO ACTUATED FIGURE TOY. A

Application filed April 24, 1926. Serial No. 104,266.

This invention relates to electromagnetically vibrated objects and is particularly directed to means for vibrating or agitating such objects in response to pulsating or oscillatin electric currents.

1 ble of operating an ordinary loud speaker.

To figures or dolls with loosely attached lim s, which can be agitated so as to imitate a clog or similar dance, provide popular source of amusement and entertainment.

Such'toys have been constructed to be agitated manually or mechanically in various ways, but so far as I am aware, no means has heretofore been provided for automatically agi tating or dancing toy figures in time to music, particularly to music received by radio.

The advantageous features and combinations of my invention will be apparent from the disclosure thereof in the following specification and the drawing, of which Figure 1 represents in perspective the toy figure and the housing for the mechanism.

Figure 2 is a section of the entire device through the middle on the vertical plane.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of an electroinagnet win-ding.

Figure 4 represents the support for the toy figure including the electromagnet armature.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of permanent horseshoe magnet.

Figure 6 is a section of a modified form of the invention, a radio-receiving set and an antenna being conventionally shown as connected therewith.

Figure 7 is a detail of the construction of an arm of a toy figure.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 10 represents a cabinet which may be constructed in any desired ornamental form and is preferably provided with a platform I1 over which a toy figure 12 or a similar object is suspended as by a rod 13 which projects horizontally through a slot 14 in the front wall 15 of the cabinet 10 and is attached to the back of the figure. As indicated in Figure 2, the toy figure should be constructed of light weight materials, the head member 16 being preferably made of thin celluloid or any suitable equivalent, and loosely supported on a torso 17 by an upright wire or spring 18 secured as at 19 to the back of the torso. The torso 17 may also be made of celluloid, but I prefer to use buckram or its equivalent to minimize the noise of the chatter of the head member against the torso during the vibration or agitation of the figure. Suitable hands 20 and feet 21 may be attached to the torso as by helical springs 22. In order to permit freer motion or play of the hands and feet during the vibration of the figure, the connection of these members with the torso may be made as indicated in Figure 7, the end of the helical spring 22 being formed into a loop 23 through which is threaded a-loop 24 on the end of a short spring 25 attached directly to the hand or foot.

The figure 12 may be rigidly attached to the bar 13, but I prefer to use therewith'a short helical spring 26, one end of which is secured to the torso 17, the other end being slipped over the outer end of the rod 13 which is preferably of s uare orflattened cross section as shown in igure 4 to maintain the figure 12 in an upright position. If the spring 26 fits snugly on the rod 13, no additional means is re uired to hold it in place satisfactorily, buti desired a drop of adhesive may be used for additional security. The support for the toy figure is illustrated in Figure 4 and comprises the rod 13 and an armature 27. The rod 13 and the armature 27 may be rigidly connected as by a soldered joint, or a slightly loose connection such as is indicated in Figure 2 may be used. As there shown, the rod 13 fits loosel in an aperture in the armature 27 and is pre erably provided with a pair of flanges 29 which are disposed close to-the armature on either side of the aperture. The spacing between the armature 27, the rod 13 and the flanges 29, is greatly exaggerated in Figure 2, and it is to be understood that the play between these parts is preferably very slight. Mounted within the cabinet 10 is an electromagnetic device for agitating or vibrating the toy figure without. This may comprise parts similar to those'used in certain well known types of loud speakers. As shown, the device comprises a permanent magnet 30 of the horseshoe type suitably secured as by a screw 31 within the cabinet 10. This magnet may be provided with double pole-pieces 32, between which the armature 27 is rockably supported as by a wire bracket 33 or other suitable means. Nested between the pole-pieces is a coil 34 of windings which surround a portion of the armature andare spaced therefrom, the flux of this electromagnetic coil 34 thus passing through the armature and polarizing the ends thereof. The magnet coil 34 is preferably electrically connected as by a wire 35 tothe armature 27, so that the circuit which includes the magnet coil 34 thus also comprises a portion of the armature 27 and a portion of the rod 13. Lightly touching the latter is a spring 36 which makes with the rod 13 a loose electrical connection in the circuit variable by the tions in the armature 27 and the rod 13 which constitute the support for the figure. These vibrations are transmitted to the figure, causing it to tremble or shiver in response to sustained tones and to be more violently agitated periodically in response to changes in the amplitude of the waves received such as are caused by the rhythmic sounding of musical instruments in the broadcasting of music by radio waves. Thus the rhythm of the music is transmitted through surges in the plate current to the electromagnet 34, which causes the figure to dance with considerable liveliness in time with the radio music. With the support rockably suspended as shown in Figure 2, the outer end of the rod 13 is given considerable up and down motion by these periodic actuations of the armature causing t e figure to be agitated up anddown in a manner to shake the limbs with more or less violence according to the strength of the radio reception and to make the head vibrate and tilt on its loose support in a comic and entertaining manner. Stop members 39 are preferably provided at any suitable point to engage some portion of the armature 27 when at its limiting position in either direction and to prevent the armature from coming in actual contact and sticking to either of the pole-pieces 32.

The front wall 15 of the cabinet 10 is preferably made of comparatively thin vibratile material so as to act as a sounding board to reproduce the radio music trans mitted by the pulsating current passing through the magnet 34. In order to set up sound-producing vibrations in this wall or diaphragm 15, a light spring 40 of phosphor bronze wire or other suitable material may be rigidly attached to the wall and allowed to rest lightly against the side. of the supporting bar 13. This acts satisfactorily to transmit the audio frequency vibrations of the music from the rod to the diaphragm 15 without materially damping the agitation or dancing of the toy figure.

In Figure 6 is indicated a modified form of my device wherein a horseshoe magnet 41 ing rod 47 attached to. the toy figure which is rockably mounted as at 48, the short arm of the lever formed 'by the mounting of the rod 47 being the one engaged in the slot 450 so that motion of the plug 45 up and down in response to actuation by the electromagnet Wlll be magnified in transmission to the toy figure by the lever 47. In order to prevent excessive vibrations of the armature 43 and to prevent physical contact between the armature 43 and either of the polepicces of the magnet 41, suitable stops 46 may be provided to limit the motion of the plug 45. As shown in this figure, the toy figure may be attached to the supporting lever 47 as by a member 49 from which the figure may be rockably suspended, this manner of mounting giving more looseness to the connection between the figure and the sup ort.

aving thus described one form of my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a toy figure, a support therefor comprising a pivotally mounted armature, means for vibrating said support comprising an electromagnet with windings, an electric circuit connecting said windings with a source of pulsating energy, said circuit including a portion of said support, and a member making a oose electrical connection therewith.

2. In a device of the class described, a toy I figure, a support therefor comprising a pivotally mounted armature, a horseshoe magnet, said armature being positioned between the ends of the magnet, stop members positioned to prevent contact of said armature with said magnet, a coil of windings surrounding a portion of said armature and spaced thereaudio frequency, means including said arma- .ture and actuable by said magnet for vibrating said support and toy, a source of variant electric current, a loose connection associated with said support, and an electric circuit connecting the magnet with the source of current and loose connection, said source of current being capable of causing relatively small tremors in the to said loose connection being adjustable to lireak the circuit momentarilydwhen said tremors exceed a certain amplitu e.

4. In a device of the class described, a toy figure, a support therefor comprising a pivotally mounted armature, a pair of magnetic pole pieces of opposite sign, said armature being positioned between said pole pieces, a coil surrounding a portion of said armature and spaced therefrom, a spring contact member, and wiring connectin said coil in series with said armature an s ring member, the armature and spring mem er forming a loose electrical connection.

5. In a device of the class described, a toy figure, a sounding board associated therewith, and means for simultaneously agitatnection between said armature and said soundin board.

6. A evice of the class described comprising in combination, a to figure, a sounding board, means'for simu taneously agitating said figureand vibrating said board in response to variant electric currents of audio frequency, means for converting radiant energy into variant electric currents of audio frequency, and means for operatively connecting said agitating and vibrating means with said converting means.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

LLOYD C. GREENE. 

